


Yin and Yang

by Etaleah



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Boarding School, Coming Out, Coming of Age, First Love, Gay Character, Homophobia, Humor, M/M, Opposites Attract, Pre-Canon, Roommates, Unfinished, and probably will be for some time unfortunately, old fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 18:11:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17329949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etaleah/pseuds/Etaleah
Summary: Their first year at the Academy is one that's full of of ups and downs, smiles and shouts, tears and laughter. The story of how the Kaiser and the Blizzard Prince went from being total strangers to the best of friends and more.





	1. New School, New Roommate, New Year

> _"_ _Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you."_ \- Loretta Young

Ryo was never one to show much excitement if he could help it, but as he walked through the shiny, spotless halls of Duel Academy that still smelled of fresh paint, he found he was smiling in spite of himself. He had the halls- and the school- to himself and loved it that way, though he knew it wouldn't last. Within days he would have competition, duelists who would give him a challenge the novices back home couldn't. For now, though, Samejima had said he had important news, so Ryo tried to keep a serious face as he neared the chancellor's door.

Samejima welcomed him into his office and bade him to stand in front of the desk. "Are you ready for this?" Samejima asked.

He was treated to one of Ryo's rare smiles, the kind that wasn't smug. "Yes sir. I've been waiting all summer for this."

"It's good to see you again." He scratched his head. "How many years would you say it's been?"

"Seven." Ryo thought the man hadn't aged a day, though the same couldn't be said for himself. He was proud of the fact that he now had to look down at his mentor instead of up.

Samejima shook his head. "I can't believe it. And now here you are in your first year and you're already an Obelisk Blue. No, you're one of the elite."

"Elite?"

"Oh yes, that's what I wanted to tell you! In Obelisk there are two elite members, or honor students. They represent the best of the best and have the top scores on all the exams, both written and field. You are one of the two. You'll meet the other member next week, when school starts. He'll be your roommate for your first year." First years were the only Obelisks who had roommates.

Ryo smiled again, fixing his eyes on the wall behind Samejima. He liked praise as much as anyone, but wasn't sure how he felt about special treatment. "I'm honored that you think so highly of me, sir."

"You deserve it for all your hard work. My hope is that by placing you at the top of the school, you'll set an example for the other students in teaching them the respect involved in dueling."

"I'll do my best." Ryo said, but jumped suddenly as the door was flung open open and Chronos-sensei barged in.

"Are you quite finished? I have a very important matter I need to discuss with you," he barked at Samejima.

Ryo wasn't sure what to make of Chronos-sensei, and as such he'd avoided him for the past week. A good duelist, yes, and presumably a worthy professor, but his behavior at the entrance exams had been mildly disturbing to say the least. What kind of teacher turned away a potentially good student simply because she'd mistaken him for a woman?  _Which isn't exactly hard to do_ , Ryo thought.

Avoiding Chronos-sensei had not been a simple task. He seemed to be everywhere, hawking at the cleaning staff in the dorms, rifling through the card packs in the shop, and these "important matters to discuss" always seemed to come up whenever Ryo and Samejima were talking. Ryo wasn't supposed to be at school until next week when classes began- a fact Chronos-sensei constantly reminded him of- but Samejima had needed an extra hand to help get the campus ready and so he'd made an exception for Ryo. Chronos-sensei had made it more than clear he did not approve of making exceptions.

"Yes, Ryo and I were just discussing his new roommate."

"And who might that be?"

"Why, the other elite duelist. What was his name again? Tenjoin something?"

"You don't mean Tenjoin Fubuki, do you?" Chronos-sensei said. Ryo nearly winced at how shrill his voice was.

Samejima snapped his fingers. "Ah! Tenjoin Fubuki, that was it. Yes, I thought that since they're both such fine duelists, they could give each other a bit of competition."

Chronos-sensei stared at Samejima, mouth agape. "You're pairing up Tenjoin Fubuki with  _him_?" he jerked a thumb toward Ryo, who was beginning to feel uneasy.

"Do you think that will be a problem, sir?" Ryo asked, raising an eyebrow. He'd heard all the horror stories about roommates who stayed up until all hours of the night, trashed the dorm rooms, blasted music, and snuck in girls after curfew. He'd even heard of a case where a boy took pictures of his roommate undressing and posted it on the internet, where it still existed to this day.  _Surely an elite student can't be that bad._

"Have you lost your mind, sir? They'll hate each other."

"That's enough, Chronos!" Samejima stood. "Ryo, don't listen to him. I have no doubt that the two of you will be just fine. I met Tenjoin at the exams and he's a very nice boy."

"A little  _too_  nice, if you ask me," Chronos-sensei muttered.

"What was that?" Samejima said rather than asked.

"Er- nothing, sir."

"Good. If you'll excuse us, Ryo."

* * *

Ryo stood on the balcony, thinking. The soft breeze caressed his cheek and ruffled his hair as he looked out at the newly trimmed lawn encompassing the Obelisk dorm. He'd been thankful for the opportunity to come to Duel Academy early; it gave him the advantage of knowing the campus before anyone else. He'd seen almost all of the school over the few days that he'd been there with the exception of the Osiris dorm, which he had no desire to see. It was incredible. When he'd read the course catalog, even he couldn't keep a grin off his face. Deck Construction, Card Design, Dueling Strategies, Monster Attributes, Gym (okay, not a grin-worthy class, but there were worse fates) and his personal favorite, Intro to Machine Monsters. The only class that puzzled him was the last one listed on his schedule. Duel Alchemy taught by Daitokuji-sensei. He'd never heard of that before.

But what puzzled him even more was what Chronos-sensei had said about Tenjoin Fubuki. Did he mean too friendly in an annoying peppy way or in a creepy stalker way? Than again, this  _was_ Chronos-sensei. He decided to put more stock in what Samejima had said.

Nevertheless, curiosity took over and Ryo reached for his handheld. He connected to Duel Academy's wifi and did an internet search for Tenjoin Fubuki. All that came up was a report of his entrance exam. He'd scored very well on both tests just like Samejima had said. Ryo noted with interest that he'd also dueled using a dragon deck. His rarest card was Red Eyes Black Dragon.

Well. No wonder Tenjoin was an elite student. To have a card that rare, one used by the likes of Katsuya Jonouchi and Mutou Yuugi, he had to be good. No doubt Tenjoin was a serious, hard-working student who would be devoted to his studies just like Ryo. They would study together, maybe duel occasionally, but there would be respect.

Ryo put the handheld away, feeling relieved. He would not have to worry about Tenjoin Fubuki causing him any problems.


	2. First Impressions

> " _Strangers are just friends waiting to happen._ "- Author Unknown

Ryo straightened the bedcovers one last time, stood back, and admired his efforts. The entire room was spotless from floor to ceiling. He'd wanted to start off the year in the best way possible: neat and organized with everything in place. His clothes were all clean and folded in the chest of drawers and he'd taken care to keep them all on one side of the dresser to leave room for Tenjoin's. The soft carpet floor was vacuumed, cobwebs had been removed, the walls and even the ceiling had been dusted and wiped, and the doors and windows were void of fingerprints.

During the past week, Ryo had grown accustomed to sleeping in the bed near the balcony, where he could hear the waves of the ocean and fall asleep to them. His bag and duel disk now rested on top of it, indicating he'd claimed it as his own and Tenjoin would have to take the other bed. He'd also cleaned up the bathroom and kept his toiletries stowed away out of sight so Tenjoin wouldn't get any ideas about sharing.

Now all that was left to do was wait. Ryo had watched the plane land from his balcony window a while ago, so his roommate and other classmates were likely to show up any minute. No one back home had ever been a match for him and he was more than ready to start working for his victories.

Someone twisted the doorknob from the outside.

"It's locked," a voice said. "Now where did I put that room key?"

"Tenjoin?" Ryo called out, his heart beating the slightest bit faster.

"Yeah, that's me. Are you my new roomie?"

Ryo blinked. That voice didn't sound the way he'd imagined it. It was weirdly cheerful. "Yes. Hold on a second, I'm coming." He opened the door. "Hey. I'm Marufuji-"

"RYO!"

Ryo barely suppressed a scream as he was nearly tackled to the ground by a six-foot-tall boy in a bright Hawaiian shirt and long, thick brown hair that looked like a girl's.

"Hey, Ryo!" the boy said. "Good to finally meet you." He hugged Ryo and slapped him on the back.

This was not how Ryo had envisioned this meeting.

"…Hello," Ryo said uneasily.

"First thing you should know about me: I'm a hugger."

"I can see that." Ryo pushed away and brushed himself off.

Fubuki was bouncing on his feet. "It's so awesome to finally meet you! I'm Fubuki. You know, everyone else wanted to wander around campus to see the school and whatnot, but I wanted to come and meet you because Samejima's told me so much about you. He says you and I are the best duelists in the school and we can help each other and he knew you way back when and that you always respect people and I figured you must be a really cool guy, so I wanted to come see you as soon as I could. And Samejima said you've been here a week already so you already know the whole campus and you can show me around. That'll be really cool, huh? Am I talking too much? Some people say I do, but I just love talking to people. Don't you, Ryo?"

Clearly this boy had a mental condition. And his manners could use some improvement as well, seeing as he was already calling Ryo by his first name.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you too, Tenjoin."

"Tenjoin is my dad's name. Call me Fubuki."

_So soon?_ "Fubuki then." For lack of anything better to say, he pointed out the obvious. "This is our room. It's the best in the Obelisk dorm."

"Wow!" Fubuki's eyes lit up and he raced over to Ryo's bed, shoved everything off, and began to jump on it. "This is so nice. It's just like a hotel, only better. A TV, a desk, and whoa, is that a balcony? This place has everything! And this bed is so soft. I'll sleep good while I'm here." He flopped onto the bed, producing a worrisome creaking sound, and buried his head in the pillow. He sniffed. "Hey, it kind of smells like you."

"That's my bed." Ryo wanted to kill Samejima.  _This_ was Tenjoin Fubuki, the elite duelist with the Red Eyes Black Dragon?

"Oh. Okay, I'll just take this one." Fubuki hopped off and proceeded to jump on the other bed Ryo had so carefully made up. "So how do you like it here?"

"I look forward to classes," Ryo said. It had never been truer.

"How's the food?"

"I haven't had any yet. I've been helping Samejima get everything ready, so I've just been eating whatever the faculty was having. That was fine."

"How're the babes?"

"The what?"

"The girls!"

Ryo reached for his duel disk and feigned shuffling his deck to give him an excuse to look away. "I don't know."

"Uh huh. You don't talk much, do you, Ryo?"

"Not as much as you do, apparently."

Fubuki's grin never left as he hopped off the bed and moved closer to Ryo. "That's okay. With those looks, you could pick up chicks without saying a word. I mean, look at all this blue hair." He ruffled Ryo's hair so that his bangs fell over his eyes. Ryo fixed it and gave Fubuki an annoyed glare, which he ignored as he turned back to his bags.

"So tell me about yourself while I unpack. What do you like to do for fun? What's your family like? What's your favorite food?"

Ryo folded his arms and mumbled one-syllable answers as he got a better look at his roommate. To say that Fubuki was nothing like Ryo had pictured him was an understatement. His long brown hair and Hawaiian shirt made him look more like a hippie than an elite duelist. He also noticed with dismay that Fubuki pulled what looked like a small guitar out of his bag and strummed it a bit while Ryo was talking. So he was one of those roommates who loved playing music.  _Great._

"Hey, look at this." Fubuki shoved a framed photograph toward Ryo, beaming. "That's me on the left, and on the right is my little sister Asuka. She's only thirteen, but man, isn't she a looker?"

"Yes, she's very pretty," Ryo replied politely, setting the photo on top of the dresser he was leaning against. Fubuki moved to put his clothes inside, and somehow his grin got even wider when he opened the drawers.

"They even gave us free clothes." He held up Ryo's clean clothes and looked them over. "And they're just my size too."

"Actually, those are mine," Ryo said, with a special emphasis on  _mine_.

"Oh! Sorry, guess I forgot that you'd already unpacked," Fubuki said as he stuffed Ryo's clothes, which were now wrinkled, back into the drawers. After stuffing in his own clothes- which took up more than his fair share of drawer space, Ryo noted sourly- and stowing his bag in the closet, Fubuki turned back to Ryo and started bouncing again.

"So what do you wanna do first? Check out the campus? Get a bite to eat? Maybe have a match? Or we could go to the beach! I brought my surfboard."

Ryo didn't answer. Instead he just stared at Fubuki as if the boy could read his mind and tell him why he wasn't the good roommate he was supposed to be but instead a very hyperactive nutcase who apparently did not quite grasp the concept of personal space.

Fubuki didn't even seem to notice. "Man, we're gonna have so much fun. We can stay up late and watch movies and go on dates together. I'm so psyched!" He threw his arms around Ryo again, to which Ryo automatically tensed and tried to pull away. "This is gonna be the best school year of my life."

_And the worst of mine_. Ryo shrugged out of Fubuki's arms. Nobody came to Duel Academy for fun, they came for school.

"It's gonna be hard to resist going to the beach every day, but more than anything I just want us to go on dates."

"Excuse me?" This time Ryo looked him in the eye. "What makes you think I'd be interested in you, exactly?"

Fubuki snickered. "I meant that you and I get girlfriends, and then we go on double dates together." His smile was sly this time. "Although it's interesting that your mind immediately jumped to that conclusion."

Yup, this was going to be the longest school year of Ryo's life.


	3. Troublesome Tenjoin

> _"_ _The course of true love never did run smooth."_ -William Shakespeare

Ryo leaned against a tree outside the Obelisk dorm, staring at the lighthouse and rattling through his mental Rolodex of excuses for getting out of social situations. Lunch with Fubuki had been awkward enough, there was no way he was going to the beach with him too. Usually he resorted to blaming his family (his parents wanted him home, he had a commitment he couldn't get out of, etc.), but that wouldn't work when his family was hundreds of miles away. He doubted Fubuki would buy him feeling sick either.

"It's official. I  _love_  this place!" Fubuki sang, turning cartwheels on the green lawn. "The beach is great, the babes are hot, our pad is sweet, and the food is fantastic."

"It's better than most school cafeterias," Ryo said, trying to sound somewhat nice.

Fubuki stopped, spreading his arms. "Are you kidding? We get a whole dining hall! I heard the other two dorms can only eat the one thing the kitchen staff feels like making, while we get a whole big buffet every night. Let's just hope I don't get fat while I'm here."

"You won't. Each student is only allowed two helpings," Ryo said.

"Blah, blah, blah. Rules were made to be broken," Fubuki said, waving his hand and smiling up at the sun. "So tell me, what are you most excited about?"

"Dueling."

Fubuki looked disappointed. "That's all?"

"The campus and the dorm are nice too."

"Have you seen the Osiris and Ra dorms?"

Ryo rolled his eyes. "No. Why would I?"

"They're not nearly as bad as everyone thinks. I thought Ra was actually kinda nice. And Osiris wasn't terrible."

Ryo wrinkled his nose. Not terrible wasn't exactly the most flattering description. "I heard there were cockroaches in that dorm and the sheets aren't even clean."

"That's true. But it is cozy. And I've always had a thing for bunk beds." He frowned and adjusted the collar on his new white uniform. "Though as much as I love this school, I have to say I don't really care for their uniforms, especially these elite ones. Our school is supposed to be colorful, so why do the good students have to wear boring white while the not-as-good students get to look cool? And what was Samejima thinking, giving us long-sleeved coats and pants on a tropical island?"

"Chronos-sensei chose the uniforms. Samejima just approved of them."

"And what fine uniforms they are!" a familiar screechy accent bellowed. Chronos-sensei had his hands on his hips and his purple lips were pursed as though he'd just eaten something sour. Ryo swore the man had a radar that went off whenever someone within a hundred mile radius mentioned his name.

"Yes sir," Ryo said. Fubuki jumped.

"Sir? You mean that's a dude?"

Chronos-sensei's face began to redden. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, what guy has a ponytail and dresses like that? And coming from me, that's saying something."

"How dare you! You better watch your mouth, young man, or you'll get your wish and receive a different uniform. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, but who exactly are you again?" Fubuki asked. Ryo groaned.

"I am Chronos de Medici, a professor at this academy and the head of your dorm. So if I were you I'd show a little bit more respect."

Fubuki's eyes bulged. "So you really are a guy? Seriously?"

Chronos-sensei's face went from red to purple and a vein pulsed at the side of his neck. "That's enough out of you, Tenjoin! Get back to your room, both of you. And I expect you to demonstrate proper behavior when you attend my class on Monday. Do I make myself clear?"

Fubuki raised a finger. "Can I just ask one more question?"

"Go!" Chronos-sensei pointed a very long finger toward their dorm. Ryo seized Fubuki's arm and yanked him in that direction, fuming. He hadn't even done anything and yet he was being punished after just attaining honor status.

Fubuki snapped his fingers. "Do you think maybe Chronos-sensei is gay and dresses like that to attract other guys?"

Ryo rolled his eyes. "You're hardly one to talk about odd ways to dress." Why, out of all the students in Obelisk Blue, did  _this one_  have to be the second honor student? How on earth was it possible that a boy who caused problems the first day he arrived, before classes even started, could have that kind of skill and intelligence?

Fubuki wasn't listening. "I can't believe he wouldn't even hear my question. All I wanted to ask him was why your uniform has coattails and mine doesn't."

"It doesn't matter," Ryo said.

"But coattails are awesome! They're so much fun to play with." He reached down and tried to grab Ryo's coattails. In doing so, his hands brushed against Ryo's butt and for a moment Ryo saw red. He jerked away and walked on faster and farther away from his roommate.

"Hey, wait up!"

Ryo ignored him. He'd decided that was the best way to handle an annoying roommate.


	4. School of Thought

> " _The art of love is largely the art of persistence_." -Albert Ellis

"So how do you like it there?" Her voice floated through the cell phone and into Fubuki's ear, as though tempting him to return home. "Is it everything they said it would be?"

"And more," Fubuki murmured dreamily. On days like this, he felt that one couldn't possibly look at the sky enough. He was lying flat on his back in the soft sand on the beach, basking in the sun's rays and listening to the gentle roar of the waves that just reached his bare toes.

"What's your dorm look like?"

"For a dorm room, it's huge. It's almost as big as my room at home. It even has a balcony."

"No way! Now I'm tempted to move to Duel Academy with you."

"You would love it, Mom. It's beautiful. It's got beaches and babes-"

"Babes?"

"Lovely young ladies."

"I'm not going to have to give you the talk again, am I?"

"No thanks, I'm already a perfect gentlemen."

His mother laughed, sending a tinge of homesickness into his chest. "What about your roommate? Is he a gentleman too? I heard he's the best duelist in the school."

Fubuki nodded even though she couldn't see him. "I have a feeling he's going to become one of my projects."

"Oh, don't tell me. The intellectual strong and silent type that actually takes school seriously unlike my son?"

"Yup," Fubuki said, ignoring the dig. "And kind of a goody-two-shoes. But man, is he hot! If he weren't so prissy, he could have all the dates he wanted. He might even provide some competition."

"Bucky, just remember that not everyone has the same drive to be popular as you do, and it's possible that not everyone there is going to be, well, open-minded."

"Mom, I know. Don't worry. If I play my cards right, he'll be my best buddy."

"Not too long ago, you decided to make Asuka your project too, and you know how that turned out."

Fubuki sighed. "I love you, Mom."

"All right, all right, I'll stop nagging. Let me know how it goes. That poor boy doesn't know what he's in for."

"I know," Fubuki giggled as he hung up.

He was going to make Ryo lighten up and have fun whether he wanted to or not.


	5. Class and Lack Thereof

> _Your friend is the man who knows all about you and still likes you."_ -Elbert Hubard

Ryo set up his notes and tried to ignore Fubuki fidgeting in the chair beside him. The classroom was the biggest he'd ever seen and the platform where the professor was supposed to give the lecture looked big enough to host a duel on.

"You have tardy-phobia, don't you?" Fubuki asked, phrasing it as more of a statement than a question.

"Excuse me?"

"You're afraid of being late for stuff."

Ryo rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "I'm not afraid of it. I just don't like it. It's disrespectful."

"I can understand that, but don't you think showing up for class twenty minutes early is a little extreme?" Fubuki pointed out as he sank further into his chair and set his feet on top of the desk.

"You didn't have to come with me, you know," Ryo reminded him, annoyed. Fubuki had been following him around for three days now. One would think that if somebody ignored you for three days and only spoke to you when asked a question (and even then very curtly), you would get the message they weren't interested. But apparently such things went right over Fubuki's head, because he was still as attached as ever.

"It's not like I have anything better to do right now," Fubuki whined. "Besides, if I didn't get here early I'd probably end up skipping altogether. That's why it's good for me to hang out with tardy-phobes."

"I'm not a tardy-phobe, which I doubt is even a word. I'm not afraid of anything."

Fubuki gave him a look. "Ryo, class starts at nine and you started getting ready at six. The Obelisk welcome dinner started at seven and was right across the hall from us, and you started getting ready at four. That goes beyond respectful, that's just paranoia."

"Is there something wrong with wanting to make a good impression and be on time for things?" Ryo asked, angered at Fubuki's exaggeration of his actions. He knew perfectly well that he'd started getting ready for that dinner at four fifteen, thank you very much.

"No need to get defensive. My sister is the same way, so I'm used to it even though I like to be fashionably late."

"Get your feet off the desk, Tenjoin!" Chronos-sensei's voice boomed from the door he was closing as he stepped into the room.

"Toldja we shoulda sat in the back," Fubuki grumbled as he adjusted his position.

"If you would like to sit in the back, you're more than welcome to do so," Ryo told him. Maybe that would get rid of him. Ryo felt like he hadn't had a moment's peace since their first meeting. Even when he tried to sleep, Fubuki tossed, turned, mumbled, snored, and even sang in his sleep. He'd even followed him into the sanctity of the lighthouse (which immediately lost its sanctity), and at that point Ryo was extremely tempted to lash out at him and tell him to go away. But he was nothing if not respectful.

Fubuki narrowed his eyes. "Ya know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of me." But then he smiled and clapped Ryo on the shoulder, causing him to flinch and draw back at the touch. "But that's just stupid. I know you wouldn't do that. You love having me around."

Ryo glared down at his textbook, fighting the urge to slam his face into it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Chronos-sensei looking at him with great pity in his expression. Thankfully the bell rang and he was distracted by the students filling the room, oohing and aahing over each others' cards and speculating on who would duel who.

"All right everyone, sit down and shut up!" Chronos-sensei barked. "I am Chronos-sensei, and you are not. Which means when I am talking, you listen. Understand?"

"Sure thing, Croney!" Fubuki called out cheerfully.

"That includes you, Tenjoin. Show some respect."

"Don't worry, I gotcha," Fubuki assured him. Chronos-sensei glared at him before turning back to the class. For the next few minutes he droned on and on about classroom procedures and how tests would be given weekly and they could all expect a two-hour workload each night. Ryo was scribbling everything he said furiously into a notebook when he felt something light and pointy hit his face. He glanced down and saw that it was a paper airplane, and it wasn't hard to guess where it had come from.

Fubuki leaned in close to him. "I'll make another one and then we'll both throw them at the same time. Let's see who gets closer to his face," he whispered eagerly. Ryo balled up the paper airplane in his fist and shook his head. "Aw, come on!"

"Be quiet," Ryo hissed. Fubuki rolled his eyes and slumped in his seat, looking extremely bored. He was still for another minute or so, then he began to fidget and shift in his seat.

"And because I received my Ph.D in dueling, I obviously have more knowledge than you, so you're going to have to listen when I give you crucial information," Chronos-sensei went on. "And that means-" He was instantly cut off by an extremely loud farting noise coming from the front row, followed by a fit of giggles.

Ryo's head jerked up. That noise had sounded suspiciously close. Was it-

"Tenjoin, do you really want a detention that badly?" Chronos barked at Fubuki, who was wearing the most innocent expression possible.

"What makes you so sure that came from me?" Fubuki asked, raising his eyebrows. Ryo glanced down. Sure enough, that pest was sitting on what appeared to be a whoopee cushion.

"Don't play dumb with me."

"But sir, it's a bodily function," Fubuki fake-whimpered. "I can't help it. As a matter of fact, I'm very insecure about it." Giggles rose up all over the room until Chronos-sensei's glare silenced them. Ryo scooted as far away from Fubuki as possible, hoping he wouldn't be considered guilty by association again.

"I know a whoopee cushion when I hear one. Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"Believe me, no one would ever think that." Ryo flinched. Fubuki spent the remainder of the period in the hallway.

After what seemed like hours, Chronos-sensei grudgingly dismissed them. Ryo made a beeline for the door, hoping to get to the next class before Fubuki and hopefully sit as far away from him as possible.

"Marufuji." Ryo cursed and turned around as the other students pushed past him. Chronos-sensei beckoned him close with one long finger. Ryo reluctantly approached him and looked him in the eye. "Yes sir?" he asked in his most respectful tone.

"I would strongly advise you to find some different friends, Marufuji. That boy will get you into a lot of trouble, you understand?"

Ryo nodded. "Yes sir. But you needn't worry. Fubuki and I aren't friends."

The tiniest hint of a smile crossed the teacher's face. "Make sure it stays that way."

"Yes sir," Ryo promised and left the room.


	6. Getting to Know You

> _"Sometimes it's a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence."_ \- David Byrne

"What are you doing up here? The dinner hour's almost up," Fubuki said as he shut the door to their room. He'd returned to the dorm to grab a comb and fix up his hair, and had found Ryo bent over some notes at his desk.

"I usually just grab a few rolls and eat them up here," Ryo said. "I don't eat much."

The very statement nearly shattered Fubuki's heart. How could anyone not eat much? It was practically a crime. "Don't you at least want to hang out in the dining hall? Everybody's down there."

"That's all right, you go ahead." Ryo still hadn't looked up from his notebook.

"Is something bothering you or are you really like this all the time?" Fubuki asked bluntly, sitting on the bed and flipping his thick mane of hair.

"Like what?" Ryo snapped.  _Please tell me he's finally taken the hint._

Fubuki threw up his hands. "You haven't said a word to anybody since the first day. You've spent most of your time here, the lighthouse, or in the library. At first I thought maybe you were just shy and a little homesick, but it hasn't changed."

Ryo shrugged. "I apologize if my personality doesn't suit your needs."

Fubuki smiled. "You've got a sarcastic side. I like that. Reminds me of my sister." He stared at Ryo, and his eyes were gentle. "What about you? You miss your family?"

"Not really," Ryo said. "I've been away from home plenty of times."

"You go to duel camp or something?"

Ryo nodded. "My brother and I went."

"I saw a picture of him in your suitcase. He looks so small I can't believe he's actually thirteen. You must miss the little guy."

"Not really," Ryo said before he could stop himself.

Fubuki stopped and turned to face Ryo, his eyes wide. "You really don't miss him at all?"

"We were never that close," Ryo said, closing his notebook. By now he'd given up on getting work done.

"Why not?" Fubuki asked. Ryo didn't answer and Fubuki decided not to press the matter further. Instead he moved closer to Ryo and put a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the automatic tension that followed his touch. "Seriously, you should think about interacting with people a bit more. A lot of the students here are really cool. You don't have to stay locked up in here by yourself all the time."

"Why does it matter to you?" Ryo asked.

Fubuki leaned in closer and Ryo instinctively leaned back. "Because I care about you," he replied.

"Why?" They'd just met. Why would anyone care about someone they just met?

"Why shouldn't I?" Fubuki shrugged. "You are my roomie, after all. We have to look out for each other."

"I don't need anyone to look after me. I can take care of myself," Ryo said curtly, though not harshly.

Fubuki smiled slyly. "You're one of those people."

"One of what people?"

Fubuki stood and struck a dramatic pose. "You've been so lonely all your life that it's caused you to build up a wall of ice inside your heart that is seemingly unbreakable and present a cruel façade to all those around you. Night after night, you lie awake in subconscious agony begging the heavens to send someone who will break that wall and see through that facade and melt your icy heart with the warmth of their love."

"Yes Fubuki, that's exactly what I'm thinking every night. You hit the nail on the head."

"I knew it," Fubuki pumped his fist in the air, apparently having missed the sarcasm laced into Ryo's tone. "And I shall find a way."

Ryo leaned on the desk and rested his chin in his palm, growing bored. "Is this your unnecessarily overdramatic method of telling me you think I need a girlfriend?"

Fubuki grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Or I could find you a boyfriend. Whichever you prefer."

"I don't want either, Ryo said quickly, shuddering ever so slightly at the boyfriend comment.

"Coming right up!" Fubuki cheered, heading for the door.

"Fubuki."

He turned around. "Come take a walk with me. Socialize. Talk to people."

It didn't take a genius to figure out Fubuki's plan. "What poor girl were you thinking of setting me up with if I refused?"

"I'll never tell. But you might still find out." Fubuki grinned mischievously, a sight Ryo was quickly becoming used to.

"Let's go,' Ryo said abruptly, following him and trying very hard to ignore Fubuki's warm arm across his shoulders. He would not let Fubuki get too close. He would follow Chronos-sensei's instructions and would absolutely not become his friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Fujiwara Yusuke does not appear. I'm not familiar with his character and would probably get him wrong if I tried to write him. Plus, this is a story about Ryo and Fubuki, so he would end up being a third wheel anyway.


End file.
